Vajpayee - The statesman who went beyond BJP's nationalist political agenda

Statesman and pragmatist, orator and poet, a man of peace and conviction. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a towering nationalist who softened the often sharp edge of his party's politics with a gentle sophistry of words, earning him the sobriquet "ajaat shatru" or the man with no enemies.

The first prime minister from a non-Congress party to complete a full term in office, Vajpayee began shakily -- his first stint as prime minister in 1996 lasted only 13 days when his unlikely coalition government failed to get support from other parties. The BJP-led coalition government came back to power in 1998, and this time Vajpayee stayed in office for 13 months before losing a no-confidence motion by one vote.

The National Democratic Alliance returned to power in October 1999 with Vajpayee as prime minister once again. This time he lasted the entire term, capping a glorious career that saw him go from student activist to journalist, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh pracharak, Member of Parliament, foreign minister, opposition leader and finally a much-loved leader of the nation.

4 years of Modi: BJP to take achievements to 100,000 influencers, experts

The BJP will launch a fortnight-long programme to mark the fourth anniversary of the Modi government, with its president Amit Shah leading an exercise to reach out to 100,000 personalities from different walks of life to highlight its achievements.

The programme will start on May 27, in which all ministers -- both from the Centre and BJP-ruled states -- MPs, MLAs, mayors and all other office-bearers of the party will reach out to personalities or experts or influential people across the country, BJP general secretary Arun Singh said in a letter. 

It will also include a special contact drive in SC and ST localities and also with senior citizens, he said

"As part of the programme, each BJP leader will interact with at least 25 renowned people from various fields such as retired judges of the Supreme Court and high courts, retired bureaucrats, retired army personnel, sports stars, and writers, among others, and will inform them about the achievements of the Modi government in the past four years," Singh said. 

Singh further said all party leaders have also been instructed to organise various events such as a conference of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes, get-togethers of intellectuals, press conferences, and gram sabhas. 

This is the one big problem in Congress' plan to topple Modi in 2019

India’s main opposition Congress party is facing a financial crisis that could undermine its ability to wrest power from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wealthy Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019.

For the past five months, Congress leadership has stopped sending the funds required to run its offices in various states, party officials with knowledge of the matter said, asking not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak to the media. To overcome the crisis, Congress has urged members to step up contributions and asked officials to cut expenses, they said.

Led by Rahul Gandhi, the party’s steady flow of money from industrialists has all but dried up, leaving a cash crunch so serious that it’s been forced to crowd-fund for a candidate.

“We don’t have money," said Divya Spandana, who leads the Congress Party’s social media department. Compared with the BJP, she said her party is not getting much funding via electoral bonds -- a new method for cash donation to political parties -- which may force Congress to opt for more online crowd sourcing to raise money.

Karnataka shows what Modi should most fear ahead of 2019 general elections

As a politician, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is distinguished by his relentlessness. Every vote, every constituency, every election matters. Modi has built his Bharatiya Janata Party into an electoral juggernaut that runs 21 of India’s 29 states; 70 per cent of India’s population is ruled by the BJP at both the state and the federal level.

In some of these states, such as the vast northern territory of Uttar Pradesh, the party swept elections on its own. In others, such as UP’s struggling neighbor Bihar, the BJP stole away one member of the ruling coalition in order to seize power for itself. In yet others, such as the coastal state of Goa, the opposition Congress Party in fact did better than the BJP in the elections only to discover that Modi’s lieutenants were far more skillful alliance-builders.

Last weekend, in the southern state of Karnataka -- home to India’s IT capital, Bangalore -- Modi discovered the limits of this strategy. Karnataka was the last major state ruled by Congress; after a bruising election campaign, the BJP ended up winning more seats in the state assembly, though not quite enough to form an outright majority.

Karnataka polls: BJP fields most criminals, Congress the richest candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is at the first spot and the Congress is at the second position in giving tickets to candidates with criminal background in the Karnataka Assembly Election 2018, says a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

The top three candidates with highest assets among all the candidates in fray belong to the ruling Congress -- Priyakrishna, from Govindarajanagar constituency with Rs 10.20 billion worth total assets, N Nagaraju from Hosakote Assembly seat with assets valued at Rs 10.15 billion and the state Energy Minister D K Shivakumar from Kanakapura segment with Rs 8.4 billion assets.
The ADR released the report after analysing the affidavits filed by 2,560 candidates, which said that 391 candidates declared criminal cases against themselves.

Of the total candidates, the watchdog could not analyse details of 95 candidates belonging to national, regional, local and fringe parties, as their affidavits were badly scanned or were incomplete on the websites of the poll panel and the Chief Electoral Officer of the southern state

Karnataka polls: BJP fields 83, Cong 59 candidates with criminal background

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is at the first spot and the Congress is at the second position in giving tickets to candidates with criminal background in the Karnataka Assembly Elections, says a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The ADR released the report after analysing the affidavits filed by 2,560 candidates, which said that 391 candidates declared criminal cases against themselves.
"Among major parties, 83 (37%) out of 224 candidates from BJP, 59 (27%) out of 220 candidates analysed from Indian Nataional Congress, 41 (21%) out of 199 candidates analysed from Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)], 5 (20%) out of 25 candidates analysed from Janata Dal (United) [JD (U)] , 5 (19%) out of 27 candidates analysed from Aam Aadmi Party [AAP] and 108 (10%) out of 1090 independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits," said the report.

Nitish Kumar urges PM Modi to confer Bharat Ratna on Ram Manohar Lohia

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to confer the 'Bharat Ratna', the highest civilian award in the country, on socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.

In a three-page letter addressed to the PM, Kumar drew Modi's attention towards Lohia's role in the struggle for Independence, his efforts in bringing together non-Congress parties during the time of Nehru, his model of socialism rooted in Indian realities and his emphasis on issues of public sanitation and womens' upliftment decades ago.

The chief minister also highlighted Lohia's active participation in the movement for Goa's liberation from Portuguese rule and suggested that the international airport in the coastal state be named after him.

"Lohia had gone to the extent of saying that he would give up opposing Nehru if the latter got toilets constructed for rural women. His foresight can also be gauged from his emphasis on equipping kitchens with chimneys so that smoke did not spoil womens' health, " the Kumar said in the letter.

"In the light of these facts, it would be appropriate that the Government of India confer Bharat Ratna on Lohia, in the honour of his contributions, on his death anniversary on October 12 and also rename the Goa International Airport as Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Airport," he said.

Jan Akrosh rally: Congress will win Karnataka, Lok Sabha polls, says Rahul

Jan Aakrosh Rally: Virtually sounding the poll bugle for the next general elections, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said his party will win all polls starting with Karnataka and come to power at the Centre in 2019.

At his party's well-attended 'Jan Aakrosh Rally' at Ramlila Maidan here, an aggressive Rahul Gandhi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of sowing seeds of hatred and polarising the country.

He also charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with spreading "lies" against the Congress and its leaders.

While former prime minister Manmohan Singh said democracy "is in danger" in the country with the Modi government consistently undermining constitutional institutions, Sonia Gandhi alleged that corruption has taken "deeper roots" since it came to power.

Rahul Gandhi said, "Elections are around the corner. In 2014, the BJP and the RSS machine spread lies against our government....

Jan Aakrosh rally: Rahul Gandhi raps Modi-led BJP, RSS for polarising India

Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections on May 12, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday led a massive Jan Aakrosh rally at Ramlila Ground in Delhi, where he spoke extensively about the alleged failures and corruption of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. He made a claim that his party will surely win the polls in Karnataka and other states and return to power at the Centre in 2019. It was the first such rally by Rahul Gandhi since he assumed the post of the President of the Congress party.

Rahul also censured PM Modi-led NDA government for failing to hear the grievances of Indian citizens.

An angry Congress President also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of sowing seeds of hatred and polarising the country, and also charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with spreading "lies" against the Congress and its leaders.

Govt worked hard for building developed, inclusive India: PM Narendra Modi

India is going through a period of change and the government in the last four years has worked towards building a developed and inclusive country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here tonight.

Addressing the Indian diaspora at the Stockholm University here, Modi said earlier removing poverty was limited to just words and slogans, but his government was committed to poverty alleviation and was using empowerment as a tool to achieve its goal.

"The country is going through a period of change. Presently, there is a government in India which for the country's prestige, self respect and taking it to new heights in the 21st century, is working day and night," Modi said amidst loud cheers from the audience.

"In the last four years, the government has worked for building a developed and inclusive India. It has worked for creating a New India by 2022," the prime minister said.

Amit Shah compares Opposition to dogs, backtracks when slammed; highlights

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday celebrated its 38th Foundation Day across the country, exhorting its cadres to ensure that the party retains power at the Centre in 2019. The occasion was also used effectively to attack Opposition parties, especially the Congress, and mocking the efforts to forge a grand alliance for "survival". Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the "heroic service and sacrifice" of millions of party workers and acknowledged their "efforts" to bolster its reach. "For BJP, the 'Karyakartas' are everything. They are the heart and soul of the party and their sweat has taken the party to new heights. It is due to their efforts that we have the honour to serve people all over India and fulfil their aspirations," Modi said.

"The BJP is the party of a 'New India'. We are privileged to receive the blessings of people of all age groups, across all sections of society. We are a party that believes in India's diversity, our unique culture and, above all, the strengths of 1.25 billion Indians," he added. Modi spoke on a host of topics – from using technology to election strategy. The prime minister also slammed the Opposition and said its "only aim is to defeat Modi".

UP bypolls: Voter turnout at 20%, BJP confident of win; top 10 developments

Voter turnout for key Lok Sabha constituencies of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh picked up, hitting around 20% as of 12 noon. as reported by news agency PTI. The bypolls were necessitated after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated their seats to assume their respective offices in the state government.

Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya is reported to have said that the UP bypolls' mandate for BJP will be as big as the Lok Sabha mandate in 2014 General elections.
ALSO READ: UP by-polls: Has SP-BSP alliance for Gorakhpur, Phulpur seats rattled BJP?
Bypolls for Bihar's Lok Sabha Araria seat and two assembly seats -Jehanabad and Bhabua- are also being held on Sunday.

The bye-elections in Bihar are being seen as a litmus test for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after he exited the Grand Alliance between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and his party, Janata Dal (United).

UP by-polls: Has SP-BSP alliance for Gorakhpur, Phulpur seats rattled BJP?

On March 5, Upendra Datt Shukla, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in the Gorakhpur by-poll being held today, addressed an election rally at Raptinagar. Sharing the dais with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Shukla, in his speech, said that this election symbolises a battle of honour for not just Gorakhpur but also Yogi Adityanath, whom he called the pride of the entire Hindu community.

Pointing out that Gorakhpur’s stature has recently been elevated in Indian politics, Shukla claimed that there are efforts to challenge the forces that contributed to BJP’s victories in Tripura and Gujarat. He also spoke of BJP’s promising role in the upcoming Karnataka polls next month. He urged voters to visit colonies inhabited by Dalits and OBCs and help the lotus bloom in every house.

Clearly, the prospect of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) coming together in the by-polls of Gorakhpur and Phulpur has rattled the ruling BJP. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who had first equated the SP-BSP alliance as a snake and mole coming together, described the alliance as a coalition of thieves at a rally at PP Ganj.

Look for skeletons in CPM leaders' septic tanks: Tripura BJP chief tells CM

BJP Tripura in-charge Sunil Deodhar on Saturday urged newly sworn-in Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb to get the septic tanks of all ministers' quarters cleaned before these are occupied, as skeletons could be hidden there. He alleged that the CPI(M) is a party of murderers and they might have hidden skeletons in the septic tanks.
"I request @BjpBiplab, new CM of Tripura, to get septic tanks of all minister quarters cleaned before occupying them. It should be recollected that a woman's skeleton was found in the septic tank of Ex CM Manik Sarkar's quarter on Jan 4, 2005 but the case was deliberately suppressed," Deodhar said in his twitter handle.

A woman's skeleton had been found in the septic tank Sarkar's quarter on January 4, 2005. There had been an investigation but its report was not published.
"If our ministers occupy the quarters without cleaning them and checking things, someone might blame us," Deodhar later told reporters. 

Women: The real losers in Northeast polls as representation declines

While the national-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made unprecedented electoral gains in India’s northeast after assembly elections in Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland, women’s representation remains below India’s average and has declined further in Meghalaya and Tripura, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of electoral data.

Barely 3 per cent, or six of 180 seats, across the three state assemblies (60 seats for each state) have gone to women–three each in Meghalaya and Tripura and none in Nagaland, show election data in this March 2018 report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-partisan advocacy.

This is a third of the national average of women representatives in state assemblies (9 per cent), and a quarter of women’s representation in Parliament (12 per cent), as IndiaSpend reported on March 8, 2016. Globally, India ranks 148 among 193 member-nations of the UN for women’s representation in parliamen

CBI raid reveals AAP minister Satyender Jain owns property worth millions

The CBI on Sunday said it has recovered documents related to property and bank transactions worth millions allegedly linked to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain during searches at residences of a registrar and a lawyer of Delhi Dental Council in a bribery case.

The CBI has registered a case under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code against the two officials on the allegations of demanding bribe from the complainant for getting him favourable order from the DDC and also for extending help in further legal proceedings in his matter, said officials.

Agency sleuths laid a trap and caught the accused while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 473,000 from the complainant on Saturday night. The arrested accused were produced in a court here on Sunday which sent then to four days police custody.

Shatrughan joins Yashwant Sinha's farmer protests in MP, questions Modicare

Joining fellow disgruntled BJP leader Yashwant Sinha in a protest over farmers' issues, MP Shatrughan Sinha today questioned viability of the health insurance scheme announced in the Union Budget.

The actor-turned-politician today reached Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh, where former finance minister Yashwant Sinha has launched a sit-in protest for farmers whose lands would be acquired for a thermal power plant.

The National Health Protection Scheme announced by finance minister Arun Jaitley would require Rs 1.25 trillion for premium payment, which is more than the allocation for health sector in the budgets of the Centre and the states put together, Shatrughan Sinha said.

Modi's 'TOP' priority draws Congress' ridicule, BJP retorts 'classy' INC

Congress social media head and Karnataka leader Divya Spandana Ramya on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi wondering if he was on "pot", a put-down which invited a sharp response from the BJP by calling it atrocious and "insult" to the masses.

Ramya's swipe came following Modi's comment in a rally in Karnataka during which he said farmers are his top priority and described 'TOP' as tomato, onion, and potato.

She tweeted, "Is this what happens when you're on POT?"
Modi was at a public rally to mark the culmination of Karnataka BJP's 'Parivarthana Yatra' that crisscrossed the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies.

Cong to take on Modi over charges against Manmohan as Winter Session begins

The government is ready to discuss all the issues, including those to be raised by the Opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said here on Thursday, adding that he would request all the MPs to work "full time" to dispose of the business. 

"The government is ready to discuss and debate any issue. Several issues would be raised by the opposition and the government would obviously give its response," he said when asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegations against his predecessor Manmohan Singh and others vis-a-vis their meeting with Pakistani diplomats would disrupt the Houses.

"It is also the opposition's responsibility to run Parliament. The Prime Minister has sought opposition's cooperation for smooth functioning of Parliament," he said.

Ananth Kumar said 25 Bills are listed in the Lok Sabha and 39 Bills are pending in the Rajya Sabha which would be taken up and disposed of "according to priority".

The most important business would be the Supplementary Demands for Grants, which is the first one after the implementation of GST; the 123rd Constitutional Amendment for setting up of National Commission for Backward Classes as a constitutional body; and the Bill against triple talaaq, he said.
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BJP trying to divert attention, God is omnipresent: Cong on Ram Setu issue

After BJP's attack on Congress on the "Ram Setu" issue, the party defended itself by saying "Lord Rama was "omnipresent" and BJP was trying to divert attention from the development issues of Gujarat.

"Lord is omnipresent, he is everywhere, he resides in every substance and particles, Ram is present in the entire universe.

"You can see him in an idol, because that is a matter of faith. But it would have been good had the BJP respected the Ram in the hearts of the people in Gujarat, the Ram in the expectations and desire of Gujarati people ... the Ram hiddden in people belonging to Patidar community, who were attacked by the BJP, and also against whom false complaints were filed, the Ram who resides in 30 lakh unemployed youth, the Ram in the farmers of Gujarat.

"They should have respected the Ram who is hidden in the pain and Sufferings of Dalits, who were attacked in Una..the Ram hidden in people belonging to backward classes who are being exploited. They should have been given due respect by the BJP," he added.

Surjewala also said: "The truth is BJP is only diverting attention. They are not talking about issues. Gujarat election is not about Congress vs BJP, but the contest is between the people of Gujarat and BJP. They cannot hide the misrule of 22 years by taking Ram's name."
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